Step 7: Bug Report

Step 8: WORKING water pump from bicycle parts

Here is the final redesign of the wind pump including many of the suggestions made by readers (thank you!). Let's see if I can list them: * Substitute...

Step 6: Assembling the Wind-Powered Water Pump

To assemble the wind-powered water pump, I hammered a metal rod into the ground where I wanted the pump to stand. To this rod I braced the outer part of the pump mechanism using two screw clamps. Then I positioned the windmill part of the whole thing centered above the pump and high enough to allow the connecting arm to extend and contract without buckling. Lastly, I attached the connecting arm to the two ball bearings--one on the horizontal gear, the other on the pump piston.
The project is complete. It really is a thing of beauty...